


The Dwellers

by FeralGator



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Barely any humans, Based on fangame Pokemon Reborn by Amethyst, Fuck some of these characters >C, Gen, Mightyena can be dicks, WHY DID I EVEN MAKE SOME OF THEM?!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-21 18:59:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7399804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralGator/pseuds/FeralGator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a region suffering from toxic waters, a high crime rate, very poor living standards, and who knows what else, a couple of the local wild Mightyena do their best to make a living as normally as they can. It's not easy with death lurking around virtually every corner, but they have to do whatever they can to see tomorrow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Lightning crackled across the sky, turning a pitch black stormy night into a second long day of horror. There standing overtop the ledge was one heavy furred female Mightyena. Her red nose dipped downward as her eyes lay unmoving from their aimed target. Next to her grey and black furred body stood another Mightyena. Together, they had a presence that most would avoid. Apart however, and it was clear whom among the two was in charge. 

“One less mouth to feed,” growled the female of the four. 

“C’mon now. That used to be one of ours…” the male then broke in. “Couldn’t you show a bit of sympathy for him?” His ears shot back as a glare was cast in his direction. Thunder rolled at that perfect time, just as it seemed to be doing this entire night, aiding in the fear that the female was casting off. 

“We do not mourn the loss of a mouth, Derek,” she instructed him with a kind of soft intensity. Derek nodded quickly, understanding his alpha before looking back to the unfortunate soul that now lay dead in the putrid waters. He knew that the alpha was right in what she said. The loss of this wolf just meant that it would be easier all around to feed the rest of the pack.

“To those that joined the search, let us return to the rest. Garret is lost to us. His body is lost to our young. We will hunt in the morning.” The alpha then began to walk off with only two others accompanying her. Derek, however, was not among them. “Derek that means you as well!” she called out. 

“I will join you momentarily my alpha! I just…. need to….-” 

“-You need to follow along!” she interrupted with a quick dart of her head back to stare at the other Mightyena. “Get your skinny ass back in ranks. The last thing I need is for some human to see you alone and attempt to capture you.” Derek sighed and looked from the body of Garret back to his alpha. 

“Yes, alpha,” he sighed as he walked back over to them. 

“Honestly Derek. Why you are my beta is beyond even my own understanding sometimes.. Why if I had my way I would-“ Her words began to trail off for Derek. He had taken the time to look back to the edge as he walked further and further away from it, ears flattening as he made a silent prayer for his friend. His alpha wasn’t in the wrong, not at all. He could never feel that she was. Derek just honestly wished that she could show more of what the rest could never see. 

For a Mightyena however, such things could mean life or death consequences. 

~~~~~

“Tackle me, Johanna!” cried Prince as he dipped from left to right. The smaller gray and black Poochyena was energetic as ever despite the storm that was currently going on. The lightning often would stop the play between him and his friend, opting instead for a quick dart under the nearest Mightyena. The group would then laugh a bit, taking some enjoyment from their young members. 

“Maybe this can wait until the storm is over… huh, Prince?” asked Johanna. Prince nodded a bit after the two picked their heads up from underneath the extra fur that Albert had, chuckling themselves as they both agreed to wait out the storm. As fun as this play fighting was, it had more moments where they cringed in fear than when they would tackle in bravery. 

“It won’t be long before Alpha Killa returns,” marked Morrison as he looked to Prince and Johanna. His ears fell back when he stared at them. There was some form of guilt in their movement, even though none of it was truly directed towards the boys. “I hope she’s found Garret and a few other females…” 

“Don’t even talk about that savage,” groaned Percy. 

“Knock that conspiracy shit out of here, Percy. You know as well as I do that Garret was a strong wolf capable of bringing in food!” snarled Morrison. They were both the muscle of the pack, having hauled in more kills than anyone else save for the beta and alpha. They were like a guardians left behind to defend the weaker ones from trainers and who knows what else. That didn’t mean that they were without their faults though. While Morrison was overly trusting of his pack mates, Percy was the exact opposite. He trusted some, yes, but he held serious grudges against others. Garret just happened to be one of them. 

“Conspiracy my ass, Morrison! I saw him taking parts of the kill out of the territory a few nights back! And even then I saw the same thing last week! And before that even and-!” 

“Alright, alright! Sheesh you’re a whiny little pup, aren’t ya’?!” Morrison spat as he placed a paw over the other Mightyena’s muzzle to shut him up. He chuckled just then and gently patted Percy’s head before getting up to walk away from him. Percy remained there, grumbling to himself over Garret and the situation at hand. It was hard for anyone to make it out as anything but gibberish, though no one honestly tried. 

“Let’s just hope we see more females coming back with her. Delilah isn’t going to make it much longer… we’re going to need another female if we want to survive,” Morrison then sighed as he walked over to their sickly member. She was barely breathing and barely cognitive. Anything said about her now would certainly go unheard and unnoticed. He went to sit by her, laying his head gently over her shoulder. “Why did you have to drink it?” 

Another string of lightning and a roar of thunder once again prompted the two pups to press under Albert. He chuckled, letting them hide as he curled himself around them. “It’s okay pups. The storm can’t get you. Not down here at least.” Their alleyway home was a decrepit one that lead to a dumpster in between two large buildings. The rain was still able to pelt them all, but it was merely just a trifle at this point. In all fairness, the rain reaching them was cherished. It still had some kind of purity to it that the sludge and slime of their drinking water didn’t. Still, it was not without its aggravations from time to time. 

“Drink the rainwater… at least try to Dahlia. Please…” pleaded Morrison. The female gave no response. Her breathing so low it was barely even visible through her small belly. She hadn’t spoken since her pups had been born. They were all sick and weak. Too weak to ever survive. The alpha had them killed when it was shown they wouldn’t be of use, leaving the mother devastated to say the least. “It wasn’t your fault…” he told her. She’d already been sick during her pregnancy, and knew well that her pups had a high chance of contracting her disease. Still, it was painful to have to know their true fate. 

“Dahlia will be okay,” barked out Prince. “She’s a strong Mightyena!” Morrison looked to Prince with a weak smile, nodding as he responded back. 

“Yes Prince. Dahlia is indeed a strong Mightyena. The strongest of us all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Er ma gerd I'm posting it up in A03. I must be insane. Woof.


	2. The Unthinkable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to meet more of the pack! w00t!!

The storm ravaged on showing no signs of regressing anytime soon. Each member of Killa’s pack was soaked to the bone from the continuous rains. There weren’t many places in the southern part of the Peridot Ward that the pack could take shelter in unfortunately. Most places that existed were already inhabited by other Pokemon, or in most cases, by human gangs. The run down buildings that looked at least ten times their age didn’t fair much better either. Their destroyed walls, broken in rooftops, and unstable foundations made it too tricky to take one of them for shelter either. For now, the pack remain in their open alleyway near the dumpster. The smell was ungodly when the rains fell, but it was something they just had to deal with. 

“Alpha still isn’t back yet,” whined Prince as he curled up against Albert some more, trying to find dry fur to nuzzle into. Albert was a fairly seasoned Mightyena with fur so matted and clumped together, it was a wonder how even flees could call it home. Every time the old wolf scratched he either got his leg caught in some of the matted mess, or a clump of it would tear out. He often times just laughed those moments off, not letting his age or poor health get in the way of his enthusiasm. Even in these dreary times, the old coot somehow found a way to bring even a little hope to this tiny male oriented pack. 

“Don’t you fret there young’n,” he said in a raspy yet chipper voice. “Our ol’ Alpha is a strong girl. I bet you she’ll be bringin’ back with her somethin’ of a catch to eat!” Albert knew that there wasn’t much food out there, and also that if anything was brought back it most likely would be nothing more than some scrawny bird or something. Still, it was best to try and keep the little ones hopeful. They were the only true lights this pack had. 

“Ugh… there he goes filling their heads with false hope again,” grumbled Percy through gritted teeth. He was sitting a ways away from Albert and the two pups, keeping mostly to himself so he could complain in peace. The only pack member that ever seen to truly listen to his ramblings was Euca, and sadly he was off on patrol with the alpha. Percy was a decently aged Mightyena with lighter colored fur than most others in the pack. It wasn’t light enough to really mark him as unique, but it certainly distinguished him from the rest in the pack. 

“You’re lucky the pups can’t hear you right now, Percy,” stated Morrison. “Not that it would matter in the end. I’m sure Albert would find a way to twist your words around or mark you off as a ‘stinky stunky’ so to speak.” Morrison’s words were soft and quiet as he lay next to Dahlia. Only Percy would be able to hear him at his pitch, not that Percy himself was even paying attention. 

“Look Percy,” he continued, “Prince and Johanna need to have hope for every tomorrow that comes for them. We want them to be strong and proud of the pack they are in. It doesn’t matter the state of our health or anything like that. We need to keep them smiling and feeling safe and proud. You and I, even Albert over there, know the true state we are in. That doesn’t mean however that we ruin it for the young ones. Yes, we should make sure that we keep it to a moderation, but that doesn’t mean we extinguish it all together.” 

Percy let out a huff of air from his nostrils, snorting in Morrison’s direction before going to rest his head on his forelegs. “Yeah well if you ask me… Albert’s done more than his share of ‘hoping’ for them…” 

Morrison simply rolled his eyes at Percy before taking all his focus back to Dahlia. She barely spoke anymore and barely ate. Nuzzling into her soaked fur, Morrison let out a long and soft sigh. He worried about her more than anyone else in the entire pack, often sitting vigil alongside her each and every night. 

“She’s going to get up again… right?” Morrison jumped at the tiny voice, looking quickly to see the strangely colored Poochyena beside him now. 

“I can’t say for sure, Johanna,” sighed the older wolf. He put on a placid smiled for the pup before another string of lightning strikes lit up the sky, startling the pups once more. Both buried themselves into the respective Mightyena they were near; Morrison grunting at the sudden burst of the light brown and white Poochyena as he pressed against his chest. “There, there, Johanna. You and Prince know that the lightning can’t hurt you. Nor can the thunder that follows after it.” 

Johanna barely peeked over the fur that his face was pressed tightly against, a little whimper in his voice breaking up some of his words into a higher pitch as he responded, “But it’s still scary, Morrison…” Another flash and the pups eyes were planted into Morrison’s fur once more. Percy rolled his eyes and looked away, trying to find a part of their alleyway that didn’t have anything annoying in his line of sight. Morrison comforted Johanna as best he could, keeping the pup close as the storm billowed on. 

 

“Thorn keep point! We’re closing in on our camp!” barked Killa as she looked back to the males behind her. “Euca, go gather up the scraps we hid.” She looked to Derek then, her eyes squinting some before turning away to focus on something else. Derek’s ears flashed back at her look before slowly flipping forward again. He knew what this meant. Thorn and Euca did as instructed without any hesitation, Thorn keeping point and watching over Euca as he ran over to a few piles of trash. The ground was too hard to dig in and with so few patches of dirt to work with, they had to adapt and use human garbage to hide their food under. It had been all too long since Euca had last tasted a Pidgey that was fresh and unaffected by what it was buried in. 

Sadly, it had also been a long time since Euca had tasted Pidgey to begin with. Their scraps consisted mostly of old chicken bones with barely anything left on them, a few pathetic pieces of discarded hamburger, and some fast food wrappers still covered in grease and a bit of stuck cheese. It was hardly a meal for anyone. Even a pup would struggled with finding anything filling with this pathetic haul. Still, a haul was a haul and every bit of it was taken advantage of. As Euca was gathering up the pieces of the haul, his ears twitched. Quickly his attention turned, though his head remained lowered. 

Killa didn’t even have to tell Derek to check out the sound. He was on it as soon as it had crossed his ears. Slowly he walked around the corner of one of the buildings, doing his best to try and sniff out any hostile scent that may have been near. It was true that not many Pokemon would dare try to take on a pack of Mightyena, but that didn’t mean that everything was safe. Purrloin were crafty enough to sneak on by as well as brave enough to attempt stealing from their haul. Murkrow were the same, though it wasn’t likely that one would be out in this storm. 

When nothing could be spotted or smelled, Derek pulled back. It was a reluctant withdrawal back to his group, but it was one he made with some confidence that the noise had nothing to do with them. 

“Nothing,” he said to Killa. 

“Good. The last thing we need is a scuffle so close to camp.” Killa gave the order and the three males followed behind her into the alleyway that they marked as their own. Thorn turned after walking into the entrance and sat down to block the only open way in (and subsequently out) to the rest of the pack. With him on point, it wasn’t likely that anything would get by. 

Further in the alleyway, Killa came upon the rest of her pack. She could see Albert with Prince, telling him a story to keep his attention diverted from the storm above. Percy was moody as usual, and Morrison like always, was still taking vigil next to the sickly Dahlia. Her brow lifted when she saw that Johanna was with him, but quickly just shrugged it off and moved on from it. 

“Prince, Johanna, come get the chicken bones from Euca,” she ordered. 

“Alpha!” blurted out Prince. “You’re back!” As he got up to rush over towards Euca, the rest of the pack turned their attention over to the returning group. 

“Find anything?” asked Morrison. 

“Hey c’mon now, Prince you gotta share! That chicken has more on it than the one I got!” Johanna barked as the two pups were given their respective chicken bones to feast on. Their little scuffle went unnoticed by the rest of the pack whose attention were all locked on Killa at the moment. 

“Garret is gone. We found his body in the water by the old factory. There will be no new females either. We barely even managed to find food this time, so I doubt that any chances of gaining new females will be happening anytime soon.” The pack was silent at her announcement. Even the scuffle between Prince and Johanna had stopped. 

“Garret…. Garret is gone? You mean he’s..” 

“Dead.” Killa didn’t even bother letting Albert try to finish his sentence. “Yes. He’s dead and his body was floating in the toxic waters making it impossible for us to eat it. The only thing that has come from this discovery is that now we have one less mouth to feed. Two if Dhalia’s condition doesn’t improve.” There was a cold ruthlessness in Killa’s voice as she spoke. Her eyes stayed locked on Albert, their cold gaze practically staring right through the older wolf before taking a quick glance over to the barely breathing body of their second female. She could tell that Morrison wasn’t a fan of what she’d added in there, seeing a bit of his fangs as he tried to unsuccessfully hide them from her. 

“What are we going to do, then?” Albert asked. Killa didn’t give him any kind of an answer. Instead she just walked over towards Morrison and made sure she was in his line of sight. She didn’t bother sitting down, nor did she lower her head to look at him. She kept it raised, her eyes focused on the dumpster at the end of the alleyway as she spoke. 

“You know that I’m right, Morrison. Showing your fangs in the hopes that my word will be taken back is shivelrus at best. Dhalia’s condition hasn’t improved in almost a week now. You need to come into reality and face what you find so unthinkable. If you don’t, then I cannot promise you that your remaining time in this pack will be easy spent.” 

“That’s a laugh,” chortled Percy. Killa slowly turned her gaze to him; her rather lifeless, cold eyes almost challenging Percy to open his mouth again. Percy’s reaction was instantaneous upon the gaze settling on him. His maw shut tight and once more, his eyes shifted quickly to whatever part of the alley that was barren and empty. His body stiffened up as well, almost curling in on itself a bit more as he hastily raised up what little defense was left in his mangy form. 

Johanna and Prince both looked at one another; ears flat and bodies almost limp from everything being discussed. Prince turned away from Johanna to look at their alpha. With a small whimper he asked her, “Is he…. is he really…… dead? Will we never see Garret again?” 

Killa didn’t even respond to Prince. She didn’t even look the two pups in the eyes as she walked past them. She merely just headed to her spot in the back, laying down next to the dumpster and curling up in a way so only her back faced the rest of her pack. Derek nodded to Euca to pass out the rest of the scraps while he went to tend to Killa. 

“Where is all your proud talk now, Morrison?” questioned Percy in a harsh whisper as Euca came over, handing him the wrapper. “Get that away from me,” Percy snapped. “I don’t want it. Give it to Albert!” He quickly turned around so his back was facing Euca, prompting an exasperated sigh from the younger male. He did as Percy demanded and handed the wrapper over to Albert whom had come over to where both Percy and Morrison were currently laying. He sat down, thanking Euca for the food and slowly lowered to his stomach. 

“My my… these ol’ bones o’ mine are gonna’ give out on me one o’ these here days, haha. Can’t say I don’t be blaimin’ them neitha. Not with all this rain we been gettin’ lately.” 

“Could you give it a rest already, Albert?!” snarled Percy. “Stop putting on an act of faith! Look at this pack! Look at what we are being forced to eat! Hell, look at the fact that our only real source of clean water is the very rain that your damn bones seems to hate so much! Hell not even the RAIN is perfectly clean! Why can’t you just for once try not to find a positive outlook for everything?! Not everything is going to have it!” 

“Hey knock it off, Percy!” Morrison chimed in. “The last thing we need is for you to go off the rails again! It’s not good for the pups and it certainly isn’t good for Dhalia!” 

“Oh well EXCUSE ME!” Percy swiftly stood, his fangs bared and ready to rip into whatever pushed him even further. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt the she-yena while she’s busy dying over there! No, no it’s very important and requires her full undivided, yet fading, attention!” 

Morrison had been pushed beyond his limits right there. With his fangs at the ready, his lips curled back, and his fur on end, the young wolf leaped at Percy. The two were now in a full fight with one another. Snarling and growling echoed in the alleyway as the two bit, slashed, ripped, and clawed one another in their very limited space. Johanna and Prince were now behind Albert, shaking and whimpering as the older wolf remained where he was, unmoving aside from his head and eyes. 

Not even Killa reacted to the fight outside of her ears as they twitched every so often. She just kept her gaze to the brick wall in front of her as Derek turned to watch the fight in disgust. He knew better than to get between the two wolves when they were like this, and that nothing he could do would be any better than the solution the two had come to on their own. Even Euca and Thorn didn’t react outside of a typical twitch of the ear. 

Fur was being thrown everywhere as blood splattered the two fighting Mightyena. Their quarrel showed no evidence of mercy as each sank their teeth deeply into the other when the chance was given. Being younger and more agile, Morrison had more saved up strength than the other Mightyena. It was evident more and more as Percy started failing to land his bites and failing to block any of the attacks. The pack knew though not to count the older wolf out just yet. When his chance was there, Percy jumped away from Morrison, landing a few feet from him. Turning with a snarl, he tried to gain his footing as the younger wolf darted after him. The two locked jaws with one another; Morrison biting down on Percy’s face, while Percy did the same to Morrison. Through force and a bit of luck, Percy was able to manage his footing and push Morrison back. Through this, Percy turned his head in the gripping bite and locked his paws on the ground. This gave him the momentum he needed after pushing Morrison back, to pull his head to the side, cutting through his muzzle. The younger wolf quickly released, whimpering loudly as he stumbled back and fell to the ground, bloodied and shaking. 

“Know….. know your place… pup,” huffed Percy as he stood victorious. One wouldn’t have guessed it to be a victory however. The Mightyena’s legs shook from the pain that coursed through his body, while blood painted his already darkened coat with patches of deep crimson. His breathing was irregular from both being out of breath, and from the pain refusing to properly let any breath in. 

Morrison was in just as bad of shape as he lay on his side, huffing and gasping out for whatever air he could manage to pull into his lungs. His body was weak, tired, injured, and shamed. He’d lost not just a fight against a pack member, but he’d lost the fight to reclaim Dhalia’s honor. What Percy said still rang true with this defeat, shattering both Morrison’s heart and his pride. 

Percy didn’t even take a minute before letting himself limply stumble to the ground, lowering to his stomach so he could rest and regain his strength. He had his back to Morrison, knowing well that the Mightyena wouldn’t dare try to attack him any time soon. The two were both injured and exhausted beyond their limits for anything more to happen. The only thing the both of them could do right now was to just lay where they fell and let their bodies try to heal. It was going to be hard due to both food and water being pretty much unavailable, but certainly not impossible. 

There was only one thing that Killa had to say in remark to this, and it was a word uttered under her breath as she breathed out. 

 

“Fools.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I decided to post the first chapter tonight as well. XD  
> Sue me. l'3


	3. The Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will it ever stop raining? My gosh.

It had been what felt like days since Morrison and Percy lashed out at one another. Time itself seemed to travel barely an inch per second as unease decided to rest itself upon the two Poochyena, making it difficult for a simple hour to feel like a simple hour. Both pups were still next to Albert, their ears back and their eyes barely lifting from the soaked ground. The silence the pack had fallen into was practically devastating for them, making the aftermath even more difficult to bare. Still the pups kept silent, knowing that this tension could easily be ignited once more with the wrong word. 

Thunder boomed across the sky, scaring the two Poochyena as it had so many times prior. The only difference now was the unmoving bodies of the two pups as they remained practically frozen to the ground. Albert noticed this and sighed, reaching to pull the two closer so they could bury their faces against him. 

“It’ll be alright boys. We just be havin’ a little scuffle is all. No need te’ be workin’ yerselves up like this,” he cooed. He licked the heads of the pups in hopes of a reaction. It didn’t have to be verbal or anything, just something that Albert could feel relieved by. Percy had spat out so much truth that Albert worried how Johanna and Prince were taking it. Not only was this the first real fight they’d seen between two pack mates like this, but it was honestly the first time so much reality was thrown at them. 

He got no initial reaction, leaving the Mightyena almost clueless as to what to do next. He was a bit surprised when Derek had walked over, giving a little nudge to Prince’s rear end. 

“...?” Prince looked over to Derek, half surprised at the nudge, and half still lost to Percy’s words. 

“Everything is going to be explained to you and Johanna. We’ll get you two cleared up on this whole mess,” he tried to assure. 

“... I hope that don't be meanin’ what I think it do,” protested Albert. His voice remained very calm throughout this so as to not ignite more flames. He watched Derek carefully, making sure to keep aware as to the beta’s body language. He watched a small smile grow on his face, listening intently as Derek responded. 

“Unfortunately, it most likely does. We can’t keep them in the dark forever Albert. You of all our pack mates know this.” Derek felt saddened as Albert sighed, looking to the pups before giving them both a lick atop their heads. “.... It was going to happen sooner or later.” 

“I know…. I just be wishin’ it were later.” 

Euca barely paid the beta and Albert any mind, instead working on grooming Percy’s matted and bloodied fur. He made a few glances over to Morrison, who had refused to be tended to and merely remained at Dahlia’s side just as he’d been prior. Euca didn’t even dare to speak to him yet. Morrison’s hope had been sent through a shredder during that fight, leaving the Mightyena seemingly lost to them. It was worrisome to say the least. 

“I don’t know why the alpha is keeping that sack of flesh alive…” started Percy in a hushed voice. 

“Percy!” answered Euca quickly through the same pitch. 

“I mean it! Look… it’s obvious that Dahlia isn’t going to get better. You think it doesn’t affect me? It does. However… I’m not so hung up over her like Morrison that I let it cloud my vision. He needs to let her go. He’s only prolonging her suffering…” while Percy’s words were harsh, his voice held hints of something that only Euca was able to really pick up on. With a sigh, Euca just continued to groom, chatting softly with his friend as they exchanged their views on the current situation. 

Night trudged on for the pack, as did the storm. It seemed almost never ending for everyone as each member found sleep to be unattainable. They only spoke to certain other members every so often, each discussion barely audible to anyone outside of whisper range. The only ones that said nothing throughout the entirety of the night were Killa, Prince, Johanna, Thorn, and Morrison. They remained silent, keeping to themselves out of fear, anger, sadness, forlorn, and contempt. 

As morning slowly drew near, the storm seemed to begin subsiding. The lightning was but a memory by this point; faint thunder the only thing remaining as a distant reminder of what had consumed the sky for nearly two full days. There was still a bit of rainfall, but nothing like earlier. What had been a downpour was turning into a soft drizzle, almost like the sky itself was trying to soften the blow the pack had felt. 

Morrison looked up, eyes wide and teeth clenched together. “Dahlia… Dahlia please drink! The rain is almost gone..! Please…. please drink before it’s all gone…” he pleaded softly. He pressed his head against the weakened female’s shoulder, his own tears starting to form. “We can’t lose you too. We just can’t...” 

Johanna and Prince were looking over to Morrison as he pleaded, their attention diverted from what still danced around in their heads. In a way it was a relief for them. They hadn’t really had much to talk about to try and keep Percy’s words from echoing over and over, pushing themselves deeper and deeper down the brother’s throats. Albert and Derek also watched, both saddened by the scene before them. They had no clue how to help Morrison through this. Percy just ignored the pitiful whimpers while Euca half ways listened in. Killa like always, remained silent while Thorn reacted through simple ear twitches. 

“You can get through this… I know you can…!” It took a lot for Derek to walk over, giving Morrison a gentle lick on his shoulder. “Just please try to drink. Show everyone how strong you are…” 

“Morrison…” 

“Just show them..!” 

“Morrison…” 

“What?” Finally, Morrison turned away from Dahlia. His eyes were bloodshot and shiny from his tears. Derek could see how vast and deep the pools of dread and sorrow were the very second his eyes locked onto them. It was daunting to say the least. The beta had lost his voice for a second, trying to regain his composure to look from the distraught Mightyena over to the sickly one. 

“You know that… that she won’t make it? You know that what Percy said… well what he meant…. that he wasn’t wrong?” Derek sat next to Morrison as he spoke, his voice soft and in a sense, very calming. His words almost felt healing to those that heard them. Even if it hurt, there was just something about the way Derek held himself right now that seemed to give off calming waves of energy. 

Morrison looked slowly back to Dahlia, seeing her fickle frame barely moving in its weak and pathetic attempts to suck in air. For the first time, Morrison could truly see the state of the female he constantly tried to encourage. It hurt him even more to see her like this, skinny and weak. Indents across her frame revealed her ribs and spine, her legs barely even looking like legs anymore. 

“You need to let her go Morry. You need to let your sister finally rest.” Morry… the nickname that Dahlia always called him back when she was healthy; Back when she had the strength to play and hunt, to joke and laugh… to see and breath. Derek watched as his friend gently placed his head against Dahlia’s side one last time. The wolf tried to hold back his tears as he felt his sister’s breath fading. He wasn’t ready to let her go. He wasn’t ready to lose another family member. 

Morrison remained like that, even after the last breath had been taken. He knew that his sister had been gone for days now, her body just barely trudging along behind her. Her suffering was over, and her pups were now again with the mother that life had initially denied them of. Still, in Morrison’s heart, he cried for her to come back. Despite knowing all of this and having witnessed the pain she was in for so long, he still wanted her back. 

Derek went to lay down beside the sobbing Mightyena to keep him company as the rest remained in their silence. Johanna had pressed his face deep into Albert’s fur while Prince watched the scene before them. He could hear his brother’s whimpers coming through Albert’s scruff despite how deeply the light brown pup tried to hide them. Prince wanted to console his brother like Derek was for Morrison, but didn’t know how. He couldn’t think of what words to say let alone where his voice had gone. Each time he tried to speak, he could only push out a soft breath of air. 

As Morrison was allowed to mourn his sister, Killa remained with her back turned to the mess. Her ears were prompt and listening, picking up on whatever they could. Even through all of what was happening, she remained stagnant in her reaction. She showed no remorse, no anger, nothing at all. The only thing she showed was her confidence in Derek to handle this. She trusted his judgement more than anyone else, and knew that if anyone could help bring this nightmare to an end, it was him. 

Her eyes glanced to the right just then, glancing Thorn as he came to a halt next to her. She spoke nothing to him, merely letting her body do all the talking she needed. 

“My alpha,” he began, bowing to her before he spoke any further, “I am going to search the parameter. With the rains dying down, I feel that it’s the perfect opportunity to not only refresh our borderlines, but also to scout for any intruders.” 

Killa looked away from him, letting herself take a few moments more of silence before finally speaking words of her own, “Take Euca with you. Scavenge for any food while you’re refreshing the borderline.”

“Yes my alpha.” 

“Oh, and Thorn?” Thorn stopped mid turn and looked to her, asking what else she wanted of him. “If you happen to spy any of the twins’ pack nearby… do not engage them. That includes warning shots. You act based on how they’re presenting themselves. Understood?” 

“Understood.” Thorn bowed once more before turning completely to walk away. Killa watched as he went over to Euca and then as the two got up to being their patrol. Her ears flattened as she watched the two vanish, her nerves slowly stiffening as she could only predict the outcome were any patrol’s of the twins spotted. As quickly as her nerves stiffened however, they began to relax when she looked to the rest of her pack. They were devastated from the losses they’d just had to suffer. Two were injured, two were untrained, honestly only her beta was of any use were something to happen. It was true there was Albert, but even he wasn’t as fit as he used to be. Malnourishment and age clearly didn’t look good on him despite how much he joked about it. If anyone was to die next, Albert was the likeliest of candidates. 

“Arceus help us if the twin’s try anything, “ she prayed to herself. After hours of laying still in the pouring rain, Killa finally decided to get her body moving again. Her fur felt like a weight as she went to stand. With a rapid shake, she threw off a lot of the excess rain that remained atop her fur, leaving only the soaked in rain for her to deal with as she made her way over to the rest of her remaining pack. 

“As Dahlia has now demonstrated for you pups, life is not going to always be like the stories you are told by Albert.” Johanna and Prince both looked to her just then, their heads turning slowly as if weighed down by the very thoughts that had been plaguing them most of the night. “You will need to learn to face these challenges and obstacles if you wish to try to remain alive. I cannot promise you however that by doing so, that you WILL remain alive. Understand?”

Johanna and Prince both looked at one another before looking back to their alpha. They were confused by what she said and were both struggling to really take all of it in. 

“What she is sayin’ to you two be that ye’ be needin’ te’ learn how te’ handle yerselves out in this world o’ ours. My stories, though excitin’ as they are, can no longer be how ye’ both be seein’ things.” It was obvious that the two pups were still a bit confused and dazed from this. They still had confusion plastered on their faces next to everything else that they were feeling at the time. Just then, their attention was drawn quickly to Percy as he spoke. 

“You live in a world of poison. Learn to become immune to it, or you’re both going to be killed by it.” Percy then sneezed, snorting soon after to clear up his nostrils. “To put it simply… everything and everyone wants to kill you. If something doesn’t kill you, then they’re just toying with you. Sizing you up. Breaking you down. Doesn’t matter how you say it, everything will try everything to make sure you breath your last breath.” 

“... Thank you Percy. That was riveting to listen to,” complained Morrison. He then went back to silence, nuzzling his sister as he tried his best to just ignore what the other Mightyena had to say. Derek just sighed a bit, shaking his head as he looked over at Percy. 

“Not everything is going to want to kill them, Percy. There are some things out there that would rather see us alive and safe than dead or in danger.” 

“You would know, wouldn’t you Derek?” Percy spat. Just then, a bit of a shock came to everyone when Killa turned on Percy, barring her teeth and pulling her lips back as she stepped towards him. The sudden fear in Percy, as quickly as it came and went, was extremely prominent. He knew instantly the mistake he’d made, and held back his tongue from making any other kind of remarks. She stared at him for what felt like ages before squinting a bit. She then turned around to look back at the pups to see that they were almost as wide eyed as Percy just was. With a hefty sigh, she began to patch up the gaps that Percy left.

“Percy makes a point, but so does Derek. Not everything is going to want you dead. However, that doesn’t mean that you should give anything, or anyone, the chance to get to that point. Be cautious and alert. What may seem harmless, such as the filth in the water,” she mentioned with a glance to Dahlia, “Could wind up being the most violent killer we face.” 

Morrison wanted to retort at that, growling at the disregard his alpha was showing to Dahlia. Derek kept him in check though. He made sure to let the mourning Mightyena know through simple body movements, that his alpha wasn’t trying to start anything nor was she trying to disrespect Dahlia’s death. The pack was very well aware of Killa’s strange etiquette and persona, but it still had a way of getting under their fur every so often. 

Morrison calmed himself with Derek’s guidance, taking back to looking at his sister while just barely paying much mind to the conversation with the pups. He knew that this lesson was important for them, and that he too should add to the explanation being given, but he just couldn’t. He barely even knew what to do himself now that his sister was gone. All that he could get himself to feel currently was crippling loneliness. He knew he wasn’t truly alone, but it didn’t stop his heart from shutting itself into a dark room. 

“You will both begin training today after Thorn and Euca return from patrol. They will be the ones to teach you how to hunt, stalk, scout, mark, and size up your opponents. You will train every day until you have everything down and can effectively hunt for yourselves.” She then said something that not even her beta could have predicted. 

“I refuse to have any dead weight helping the suffering of my pack to grow. If I find that you’re not going to cut it, I’ll just kill you.” Her eyes were dead serious and locked strictly on the two Poochyena. They both stared back in fear, seeing nothing but a cold and looming presence standing there in the form of their alpha. 

“Arceus help them…” whispered Derek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for the next chapter! I really need to start typing out the new chapters so I can stay ahead of myself with this. Haha.


	4. The Reality

“I don’t like this…” whispered Prince. 

“I don’t either. But we have no choice, Prince,” retorted Johanna. 

The two brothers spoke to one another as the rest of the pack went about their morning. Percy and Morrison were both cleaning their wounds and being given time to rest, while Albert was slowly preparing himself to head out to hunt. 

“Ah it does a body good te’ be huntin’ again!” he proclaimed, trying to again shield the harshness of reality. He knew that the two pups were aware of the challenges ahead of them (even if the challenges hadn’t fully revealed themselves), but didn’t stop trying to lessen the weight of the moment. He knew exactly what his alpha was trying to do, but half ways didn’t agree with it. In the end, it was still her choice and hers alone as to the way things were done here. All Albert felt he could do was try and keep at least SOME spirit alive in the pups. “You both will finally be gettin’ te’ see me take down prey! Ye’ lot excited?” 

“... Sure,” answered Johanna as he looked away from Albert. The elder male felt his heart sink a bit, breathing out into the cool air of the morning. His breath danced as the warmth hit the cool, creating a tiny fog that Johanna would have found enjoyable were not for the weight hanging over him and his brother. 

“Lads…” Albert walked over to the two, nuzzling them as he told them, “Yer alpha knows what be best. Sure… the costs be high… be trust me. Ye’ both will get through this. I know me pups and believe you me. Ye’ two lads are going to rattle this pack with yer promise!” Smiling, Albert once more did as he did best. He could see it working, at least for Prince. Johanna still seemed to have some withdrawal in regards to the challenge facing him. 

Time passed on and the sun rose steadily higher. The temperature began to warm a bit with each passing hour, letting the wolves loosen the muscles and wake up their bodies. Normally, Killa would have sent her pack out by now. Her instincts however were keeping them back. She had no reason to throw everyone into the unknown so soon after losing two pack members. She had to be sure that the twins weren’t out there, nor any other pack for that matter. With the way they were presently, they’d stand no chance were another pack to try and challenge them for their males or their land. 

She waited for Thorn and for Euca’s return from their patrol. On edge the entire time, her body only gave the evidence of it through her thumping tail that seemed to never stop. Her gaze was locked onto nothing and her ears were stiff as boards. In a way, she looked more like a statue now than ever before. 

“If you’re so worried about them, why not send out a howl? It’s not like you can’t reach them. You have one of the loudest howls in Peridot,” stated Percy. He gained a harsh glance from Derek, flushing his ears back about as fast as the beta had shot his gaze at him. “Sorry…” 

“You’re a practical Mightyena, Percy. Think about it for a second. If our alpha were to let out a howl like that, if there were ANY remote chance that another pack’s Mightyena were out scouting our land, it would give away that not only do we have a patrol out, but that the patrol was far from the main base. Their protection wouldn’t be guaranteed and they would certainly become targets of the enemy.” Derek was quick in his response, though far from loud. He spoke calmly but with just enough diction that his seriousness easily came through to the stubborn male. 

“Isn’t that assuming the absolute worst there, Derek? Also… isn’t that a bit farfetched as well?” asked Percy. 

“Maybe. However, it’s best to think of every possible outcome given the current situation. I highly doubt I need to remind you of anything that’s just happened and the conditions the rain has put us in, yeh?” Percy scoffed and turned his head to the side. He returned to cleaning his wounds as Derek said, “Good. When you finish, you’re going to be taking over patrol from Thorn. Euca will remain with you when you make your second rounds.” 

“What?! Are you insane?! Have you seen my wounds?! Morrison ripped into me pretty hard you know!” 

“Your point?” growled Killa just then. Everyone turned to her quickly, staring at her as she began to move. She stepped over towards Percy, forcing the older male to crouch down with his tail between his legs. His fangs bared themselves as his ears flew back flat against his head. His shaking was visible even to the pups as they watched the fear and defensiveness of the male grow exponentially through Killa’s rant. 

“You will go on patrol Percy, and you will make sure to spy every single nook, cranny, and ledge that borders our land. I don’t care the wounds you have. You brought those onto yourself. Now take them like the Mightyena you are, and do as your beta commands of you. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?” Johanna hadn’t seen so much held back aggression in his alpha before. She was like a voltorb ready to explode! He looked over to Albert, his body struggling to keep from shaking. 

“Ah needn’t ye’ worry there Johanna. The alpha’s anger barely gets past that level. Still, I best be takin’ that te’ heart and keepin’ on her good side. There isn’t a dog alive that would wish that kinda’ rage placed on’em I bet ye’ what!” Albert laughed. He gave a soft nuzzle to Johanna just then before turning to walk away from the two Poochyena. He was headed over to Morrison who was struggling to get the top of his muzzle clean. 

“He’s right,” Johanna told Prince. The two brothers looked at one another and nodded, silently agreeing that they were going to do everything possible to keep in their alpha’s favor. Despite everything that was ahead of them, there seemed to be a small growing light of hope that they would grow up side by side. 

Time passed yet again, leaving the sun in the middle of the sky. It was by this time that Killa was now pushing past her patience limits. She’d taken herself back to her stiffened stance, her tail thumping away over and over. Her fur was partially dry by now from the sun that cast over a clearing sky. It was almost unreal for Prince and Johanna to see her like that. What Mightyena could possibly remain in such a stance for so long?! Was she even a real Pokemon? 

“Alpha,” came the soft voice of Derek. “Let me send out a search party for Thorn and Euca. They’ve been gone far too long. This is unsettling for everyone and I truly feel it’d be best if we-” 

“No,” came Killa’s quick response. “Our numbers are dwindled as it is. Sending more out would only weaken us further and potentially place us in the perfect position to be attacked.” 

“But alpha… If we remain like this, how will we get any food? Rather… how would we know of a possible ambush or even an attack? What if one of our wolves has fallen and the other is stuck trying to protect them? Or a trainer has caught one and is hunting the other? We can’t just leave our pack mates out there to fend for themselves, can we? Not after what’s all happened… right?” Derek tried not to speak above his alpha. He knew her tempter would overshadow what he said if he didn’t word himself properly. She was overly stressed at the moment, so it was a distinct possibility that such a thing could happen. 

“I understand your qualms, Derek. I wish I could say you were wrong, but you aren’t. You make very valid points. I just..” her voice died just then. “I can’t risk more of our numbers on a hunch.” 

“You know that you have to though… For the benefit of the pack. All packs have to. Our members are our lifeblood. We need them. Especially because of the twins.” Quickly, he gave Killa a tiny nuzzle before adding, “Let me go. I’m the healthiest among us aside from you. I can take one of the pups with me as well to get their training started.” 

“.... Go. But leave the pups. I know what I said, but right now is too risky to let inexperienced Poochyena. Especially for Johanna…” Derek nodded and quickly darted away, running out of the alleyway and carefully looking into the streets. He was gone before anyone could say anything, leaving only a trail of dust in his wake as he went off in search. 

“Does this mean I don’t have to go on patrol?” inquired Percy with a sort of chuckle in his tone. It wasn’t well received however, leaving the male to lower to his stomach and let out an annoyed, “Tsk.” 

Johanna looked over at Percy, his ears flattening some just before turning his attention onto his brother. “What’s up?” he asked. 

“If it really is the twins, what are we going to do? Are they really all that strong?” Killa took notice of the question and made it her task to answer for them. 

“Yes,” she began. She had walked over to them and sat down. With a slight dip in her gaze, she began to tell the pups, “They have been a threat to many a pack for years. Their numbers are large and they command a territory from a little out of Jasper all the way to Beryl. There is no safety outside of Peridot for Mightyena and Poochyena. It is true that Obsidia offers some protection, but there are few to little locations for a pack to reside. Any locations that exist are already claimed by other Pokemon such as Electrike, Scrafty, and worst of all, Pangoro. Peridot is truly the only place where packs can live, and it’s constantly under threat by the twins and the humans.” Her voice held back many a snarl as she spoke. Her fur lifted at certain times from sheer rage that she had to force back down.

“But… but there has to be a way we can all live together, right? Surely the twins would understand what struggle is like, right? They wouldn’t try to steal land if they have so much… would they?” Prince asked very quickly. 

“You would think that. Their territory sits perfectly adjacent to a forest that hasn’t been touched by the humans. They cherish it and keep it how it is with very few additions. I’ve heard of a single building in that forest that houses books for the humans to read. I’ve not heard of anything more. Still, that won’t stop the twins from wanting to capitalize on the struggles that we are enduring right now.” 

“Why don’t they just try taking over the forest?” asked Johanna curiously. 

“That’s something not even I know, Johanna,” answered Killa. She took the moment to breath in a bit, calming herself down in the process so as to not release any anger onto the two curious Poochyena. It wasn’t their fault for getting her worked up like this. She was merely just reacting to the disdain of the situations she was speaking about. If anything, she was happy that they wanted to know. It saved her having to create an awkward moment in their teachings. Granted… given how they currently lived, describing anything would feel awkward for her. She just wasn’t good at explaining these kinds of things to the pups without sounding too harsh or cruel. Almost as if she were belittling them or flat out attacking them. Still she did her best, trying to keep their curiosity satisfied as best she could. 

“We aren’t the only pack that lives in Peridot though… right?” questioned Prince. “There are others that live here too. At least… if I remember right?” 

“Yes. Here in Peridot there are a total of five small packs, and the twins large one. Granted most of Peridot still belongs to the five, it’s slowly turning into a land war with how much the twins are pushing through. The other packs are in no better shape than we are from last I checked. They are each struggling to maintain their numbers and what little land they have.” Killa watched during her answers as the confusion set in for Prince, but understanding set in for Johanna. He always seemed to be quicker to understand these kinds of things than his brother. She noticed that during all of Albert’s stories. When it came to land struggles and pack numbers, Johanna seemed to pick up on them faster than Prince did. Granted the stories they had to understand were never as grim as what they were being told now. 

“Why don’t the five packs just band together then to push the twins out? I mean… if we all just worked together we’d be-” 

“No pack would dare work with another,” interrupted Percy. Killa shot him a glare to shut him up, knowing that he’d speak harshly about the other packs, possibly even belittling them in the process. She looked back at Prince whom now had a hunched over stance with his ears flat. Sighing, she continued what Percy started, giving no real comfort to Prince at all despite his current shock. 

“Percy is right. No pack would dare wish to work together out of a strict guide of respect and honor. Each pack holds themselves to a certain degree of strength. Even though we know our weaknesses, most of us refuse to accept help from any other. The alpha’s of the Peridot packs are… in a way… a bit too cocky and thickheaded to accept assistance from others; myself included.” She gave a very short and very brief smile at that before returning to her usual stoic look. It was hard to keep any kind of smile going knowing that what she said was easily what could cost her pack their lives. 

It was then that she was hit by her own words. They blazed in her mind as she recognized the fault in her actions as well as the actions of the other packs. Though her body didn’t portray much of her realization, her mind was racing with both self blame, and possible solutions to fix their situation. The ample pause from what she was saying to now was enough to even prick Albert’s attention. He cocked his head a bit, confused as to the silence that Killa had taken up. 

“Alpha?” he asked. 

“Hm? Oh. Right. Yes.” Killa shook her head as if to shake off excess water before continuing, “Anyways… where was I…? Oh right... “ She cleared her throat, “As such, the twins are more than capable of pushing through and taking more and more land. It’s a fault that we recognize, but one that honestly… we’ve never dreamed of acting upon to try and fix. I don’t think that any effort to do so would result in a success either. If anything it’d just create more fighting between us. We live relatively peacefully for the moment. No current reigning alpha would try to break that. Not now at least…” 

“But… it’d make things so much easier,” Prince responded in a hushed voice. He lowered his head to the ground as his gaze was stolen by a tiny puddle. He looked forlorn from all of this. It was bound to happen though. He and Johanna knew nothing of the other packs nor of how they truly were living. For them all that existed were the food problems. She could only imagine his tiny mind trying to filter through all of what he’d just learned and still had to learn. 

“I guess…. think of each pack like members of ours, Prince!” started Johanna. His brother looked over at him with a lifted brow, obviously confused. Even Killa lifted a brow, more so curious than confused. 

“Huh?” asked Prince. 

“Percy is grumpy, Albert is kind, Derek is wise, Thorn is proud, Euca is generous, Morrison is protective, and the lapha is strong. Think of all of them like an individual pack. Would Percy ever agree to team up with Morrison if he were leading a pack? Or even with Albert? What about Thorn? Would he try to team up with Euca?” Johanna thought that his analogy would be easily understood by Prince, but instead he seemed to just confuse his brother even further. 

“But… they do all work together. They are all super different yet they still protect one another regardless of that. What would making them pack leaders do to have any kind of change over that?” Prince truly didn’t understand. He still thought that the packs had nothing to lose from just setting aside their stubborn natures so that they could band together to stop the twins from taking over. 

“Johanna… I don’t think yer bein’ very clear…” interrupted Albert. “Yer makin’ yerself a commendable effort that be true, but really it be better left to the alpha te’ be explainin’ this matter. Still a good effort on ye’ fer tryin’!” He hoped that Johanna wouldn’t feel bad from this. 

“... I guess,” replied Johanna as he looked to the side. Under his breath you could hear him say, “I understood it…”, while flattening his ears and making a rather pouty looking expression. Killa just seemed to chuckle a bit, rolling her eyes some before adding to what Johanna was trying to explain. 

“Prince, Johanna was giving you an example of very different personalities. Even though our pack works very well together, it doesn’t mean that were we all of our own packs, that we would still do the same. It’s more than likely that we would be a lot more vocal of each other’s problems and feel more defensive in our trust towards one another.” 

“.... oooohhhhh,” remarked Prince. “I think I get it now..!” 

“Wha? But….. but how was that any different from what I was saying?!” barked Johanna. “Did you really not get that from what I was saying?!” 

“Not really, Johanna. Sorry,” answered Prince with a bit of a chuckle. It was his first one since all of this chaos started. He almost seemed like his usual self right there, laughing a bit at his brother’s expense. Moments like this one were among the few that Killa was thankful for. To see that there was still some light in her tiny little pack of males was enough to confirm even her own stubbornness that they were capable of surviving. Still, her heart knew the reality of their situation. As the two pups began to go through their version of an intelligent argument, Killa flicked her ear and turned her head over towards the entrance of their alley. 

“... Derek?” she questioned. Just then, she saw Thorn running up. He was exhausted and out of breath, falling to his face as he tripped over a crack in the ground. Those that remained in the pack all turned to face him, shock in their faces as they witnessed the event start to take place before them. Killa ran over, quickly pushing Thorn to his feet with a grunt.

“Where is Euca? Where’s Derek?” she asked quickly. Thorn gave no real answer to her. He was so out of breath and in what looked like immense pain. Strange enough was that there were no true viable wounds on him to warrant his agony. Still it was there, and still it remained present as he fell back down to the ground despite his alpha’s help. Through a stiff voice he told her only what his energy allowed. 

“Wella…. is looking for you.”


	5. The Proposition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to meet more pack leaders! Yay!! Always a good time!! 8DD

Killa turned around at the voice. Her ears dipped back and her teeth bared through a heinous growl as she took notice of the other female that had showed up. The Mightyena before her now was a slender creature, almost regal in her stance, with an authority mirrored by her obscene level of pride. She held a smile on her scarred maw as a singular eye cast itself down onto Killa. It was amazing how such a battered she-yena could hold herself so tall like that. Her voice was unlike any other. It’s deep pitch rivaled that of a male’s, most likely from a constant life near smog and fumes. 

“What are you doing here, Othella?!” barked Wella. “You have no right on my land!!” 

“And you have no right to even speak let alone ask anyone to align with you,” Othella snarled back. She watched the withered female back down, ears flying back as her tail slunk between her legs. It was obvious that Wella wasn’t going to attempt anymore lashings at this stronger wolf. She had hardly a name to herself and even less backup to try and defend her. Othella turned to Killa just then and grinned, her head lifted high once again as she strode over. 

“Mostly males, yes? I couldn’t help but overhear that little tidbit while I was walking around this shit hole of a territory.” The insult came with a glance over to Wella, who in turn just growled with her head low. How DARE that she-yena insult her on her own land?! Still, it was too big a risk to attack. Weak as Othella may look, her strength rivaled that of a healthy Mightyena. Wella stood no chance in a fight and she knew it. 

“Your point?” asked Killa. 

“Oh please Killa. Cut the pride and settle with the truth! You NEED my pack! I have mostly females and unlike Wella here, my females aren’t sick and diseased.” 

“EXCUSE ME!?” shouted Wella just then. She strode forward and practically shoved her mangy face into Othella’s as best she could (given the former was taller than the latter). “You want to say that again, Othella?! How do you know that Killa hasn’t already aligned with me, hmm? Jumping in too soon, that’s what you’re doing!” Othella took no time in lashing forward, wrapping her mouth around Wella’s in a tight grip. She pulled to the side, dragging the smaller wolf with her before slamming the alpha’s head onto the ground. Placing a paw against Wella’s neck, she pressed down to cut off air supply before releasing the weaker female’s mouth. 

“You just love to be a stupid little shit, don’t you Wella?” she growled teasingly. “No pack would ever dare mix with yours. Your wolves are riddled with disease and no matter what you say, are destined to die from illness before the years end. No human will capture you, no male will mate with you. From what I heard, some of your females can’t even bare milk anymore let alone get pregnant! You are so swift to try and align with others, yet you don’t even THINK about the state your own pack is currently in! You’re a walking plague, Wella. If it weren’t so beneath me, I’d take it upon myself to rid this city of you and yours before it can suffer further from your rank stench of an existence!”

Wella was released from the paw cutting her air supply off and let out a few disgruntled coughs. Her ears flew back and her fur stood on end as she growled through her mangled coughing, “Get out of my territory.” 

“I’d be more than happy too. Killa, would you like to join me?” Killa hadn’t butted in the whole time, merely observing the levels of strength between the other female alpha. Comparatively, she was indeed stronger than them both. She felt no resign to leaving Wella there in favor of Othella. This rank territory was making her stomach churn anyways. 

The two stronger females walked off, leaving the weakened sickly one to rot in her disgrace. She’d failed her pack and now had to wallow in the truth that she fought so hard to ignore. Her future was sealed. 

\----

“So you went into Wella’s territory… why?” Killa stiffly asked as the two females left the border’s of the diseased pack. They’d remained rather silent throughout this walk, keeping eyes very much focused on what was ahead rather than on one another. 

“Opportunity. You look wherever you have to these days,” Othella answered simply. “I’m glad that I did too! The famous Killa consorting with a famous plagued pack?! I certainly wasn’t expecting to see that while I was on my walk!” she smirked. “I wish to offer you allegiance with my wolves, Killa. We are a healthy and strong pack living away from the water.” 

“And close to the humans,” Killa added. “Don’t think I’m unaware of how your wolves take scraps offered by the humans around you. You give them way too much trust knowing it was them that not only destroyed the water, but also hunted down our food supply in feeble attempts to strengthen themselves!” 

“You are indeed correct in that, but at the same time how else are we to get food? Our home is in a cave underneath one of the stone walls. A cave the humans made to once run a transit car through with supplies of food and travelers looking to re-home or visit others! As such, it was only logical to try and communicate with them so that we could take advantage of their generous offerings from time to time!” 

It was sickening how fondly she spoke of the very people that worked so hard to destroy everything even they needed for survival. Shaking her head, Killa expressed her disgust, “You are putting your pack at risk, Othella! I’m surprised that the humans haven’t tried capturing all your members and carting them off to who knows where to do who knows what! You have heard the rumors that there are scientists looking for wolves capable of breeding so they could use them in a program to try and repopulate, right?! Do you want that for your pack?! Are you so broken from your desires to be close to the humans that you would allow them to-” 

“And what makes that any different from what we are trying to do with our own?!” Killa stopped dead in her tracks as Othella interrupted her. Her booming voice was like rolling thunder in her rage. “At least we’d be happy and fed! Your pride is disgusting, Killa! You’re dooming your pack by denying allegiance on such backwards ideals! Times are harsh and everyone is desperate! Wella doomed her pack by claiming the land near the polluted ocean, Saber locked his pack away in Lapis in hopes of living off those rich snobs of humans! Oh and also, let’s not forget the twins, hmm? The ones that have all of us pinned in this breaking section of the city because they have full control over all of Jasper! We NEED to align if we want to survive, Killa!” 

“And what would alignment do other than lower the food AND water supply even further?! A large pack in this part of the city can’t survive, Othella! You know that! I know that! Even Wella knows that despite her pathetic attempts at creating and allegiance!” Everything was just falling apart for Killa at the moment. She hated talking about alignments for this very reason. It was such a sore subject for her because she knew that it was the only way for her pack to live on, but also that it could very well be the cause for her pack’s death. 

She was trapped in a revolution of destruction and it weighed on her soul more and more with every passing second. Her pride was so strong too, making it even harder to try and even allow the thought of allegiance to pass through her mind. Othella stared her down with her one eye, grazing over the rage that emanated from the other female and working around it carefully. 

“Then how about a proposition?” she asked. 

“... Depends on what it is,” retorted Killa as she forced a calm breath out to try and ease her nerves. She sat down, keeping herself stiff as she tried to read all of what Othella described. 

“An allegiance of territory rather than of pack. We both get hunting rights on one another's land, as well as rights to one another’s water supply. If our packs begin to mingle then they begin to mingle. If the chance offers itself, we can even mate with one another to try and increase our numbers. Basically… I want to do everything I can so that we can overthrow the twins.” 

Well that came out of left field. 

“Are you insane?!” questioned Killa. “Overthrow the TWINS?! Even if we bred enough pups for twenty extra soldiers, we would still lose! The twins have the healthiest and the strongest pack in all of Reborn, Othella! Do you honestly think that we stand ANY kind of a cha-” 

“With Saber I think we do!” 

“... Saber?” Killa was dumbfounded. Saber was locked in Lapis. Even Othella had admitted to that. What made her think that his pack would be of any use to them?! 

“I have a connection with Saber. A trade between us. One of my females for one of his males. In exchange, we also formed a civil pact between us. We have a Murkrow in on it as well. He takes information from one to the other, and we give it scraps that we are able to spare. He was the one that initially suggested I search you out.” 

“.... You’re both talking about suicide.” Killa’s resolve faltered. In front of her stood a possible chance at defeating the twins and securing good food and water for her pack. The risk however was high. Very high. “... I can’t. I just… I can’t. The idea is a sound one, but I cannot simply throw my wolves into battle when we are starving. Do you honestly think that our three dying packs could possibly form together and defeat a thriving one?!” 

“I do.” Othella’s voice was calm and collected. She knew the stress of what she suggested and knew the weights that came with each option given. “Our packs are stubborn as all get out, I am very much aware of that. We have lived for long periods of time without help from one another, and given the chance we’d continue that until all of us were dead. However a chance has opened up. Saber has agreed to allegiance. I just need your agreement as well as we can all begin planning ways of taking Jasper for our own.” 

It was all too much. It was all just too much for Killa. Her pride was so strong and her pack was so weak. “We’d be killed, Othella. I won’t allow it to happen. Not to me, not to my pack, and not to…” She paused just then. 

“... Not to?” 

“Nothing.” Killa sighed and shook her head. She went to turn around to walk back to her territory. She had no more reason to be away from her males. Wella’s attempt at allegiance was a pathetic failure, and Othella was just digging more and more under her fur. 

“Think about it. I’ll send the Murkrow to you in one week’s time with the offer again. Discuss it with your pack, Killa. What more do we honestly have to lose?” Killa made no response as she walked on, leaving Othella to sit in her failings. She hated all of them. She hated their smugness and their obscene ideas. Worst of all… she hated herself. Part of her wanted to take the offer up, but she was too stubborn to fully agree. 

She had to talk with Derek about this. With her pack about this. If they were all in agreement with this plan, she would have to go through with it. Well… if all but the one were in agreement. She knew well that one of her pack mates would never agree. Not with his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't notice until like... I was done planning out all the female Alpha that their names all end with "a" thus an "uh" pronunciation. 
> 
> Killa  
> Wella  
> Othella 
> 
> But I'm like... already attached to all their names?! I can't just up and change it?! You'll all just have to live with it like I will. l'D


End file.
